M6600 Owners Thread

[Scott_RC-TEK]

I think I did this right. This is what came up: MONITOR\CMO1720

That is not good. USA based systems are not supposed to have CMO (lower end) panels. Request a replacement LG or AUO panel. I have the part numbers listed here in the thread.

Scott-

[smcgil9899]

Thanks Scott. I'll have to call Dell tomorrow. Will I be able to request the LG or AUO panel. How will I know that the tech will install one of the LG or AUO panels? Which is better, LG or AUO?

[Ryan]

Thanks Scott. I'll have to call Dell tomorrow. Will I be able to request the LG or AUO panel. How will I know that the tech will install one of the LG or AUO panels? Which is better, LG or AUO?

AUO is better than LG.

But again, I don't think you can request a specific panel..

[DallasGeezer]

The experience we had with the Dell tech replacing our defective touch screen was pretty bad. He scratched up the upper palm rest, since he used it like a work bench. See my earlier post on this.
It might be better to ship it back to dell to have the work done.

[Ryan]

The experience we had with the Dell tech replacing our defective touch screen was pretty bad. He scratched up the upper palm rest, since he used it like a work bench. See my earlier post on this.
It might be better to ship it back to dell to have the work done.

Dell tech differs from region, so I guess the Dell tech in your area is a bit bad.

My area has a really good tech, he got my GFX card upgrade done in like 15 minutes..

[svmus]

It is very common to compromise the bottom center tab on the inside of the LCD bezel (behind the DELL logo badge) when trying to reattach it. Your description reads like this happened to your unit. If the bottom of the bezel is not applied correctly at the beginning of the bezel install, it will not catch on the lower tabs. Rather it will compress the tabs and create resistance - popping the bezel out as you describe.

You need to remove the bezel again (carefully from the bottom side) and either you or the tech needs to:

1. Inspect these three bottom tabs on the inside lip of the bezel and make sure all are NOT bent down (compressed) at a 10-15 degree angle. Most likely it is your center tab. If bent, gently take a small flat head tool and gently pry the tab back to its original form so there is approx. a 2mm space as shown below.

2. Once the bezel is reconditioned, start at the BOTTOM when reattaching it to the LCD assembly. Specifically, angle it so the three bottom tabs snugly integrate into the bottom lip of the LCD assembly and then concentrate pressure in the two bottom corners so the lower section snaps into place and lays flat against the LCD panel frame.

3. Now that the bottom looks proper again, work up both sides of the bezel making sure each section snaps in. This will be a much easier process than the lower base section.

4. Lastly, work the top corners into position and snap them in; concluding the task in the top middle of the bezel just above the camera (if you have one installed).

A quick feel around the bezel to insure everything is proper and you are done.

Scott-

Scott,

Thx for the detailed diagrams, I am not that confident to do this myself. The tech who came in was flustered with the task he had to redo this twice to get the panel working, basically he had a soft cloth laid on my dining table and few tools and bare hands he went about his business, I am not impressed . I will wait to see if "Dell-Mango_G" can provide some help, other wise I will call Dell and have them fix this and prefer shipping but not sure if that is any good option either. If you do get a lemon, I guess you are down a slippery path.

Is there a AUO or LG touchscreen panel? I have CHIMEI and would like to get that replaced as well, any thoughts on the part number for touchscreen? I can come in terms with bad tech etc.. but seeing CHIMEI panel inside bums me out more on Dell...

Thx again.

[DallasGeezer]

Dell-Mango_G - I have m6600 brought some in Sept. with touch screen, not impressed with the qulaity so far for a $3500 laptop. the screen lid started rubbing agianst the laptop body on the GPU side in the rear when you open the screen and it was diagnosed as a faulty hinge, I have had a rep come by today to replace and he was send with the top lid frame to replace, he had to take practically all of the laptop aside to put the lid and the screen back in and the end result is now the frame around the screen is not able to snap back in. I have visible gap in the screen fame by the dell logo and you can see the inside of screen housing, rep tried his best and did not want to push in anymore being afraid of damaging. I have to figure out on how to get this fixed as well. The work was not for the faint hearted, it would have been best to send in the top lid with the screen from what I see and rep felt. Not impressed with the results.

When he took the screen out, the label on the screen says CHIMEI and the part number was OHC9GK. I would also like to get this replaced as well.

Wanted to see what is the best way to resolve these issues, any direction would be appreciated.

Thx

I consider the M6300 to have a better external build quality than the M6600. Our M6300 has been in and out of bags for several years now, and still looks excellent. The screen has less flex too. The plastic does not wear as fast as it does on the M6600. I don't know about the internal quality.

AUO does indeed make some of the touchscreens for the M6600

[Scott_RC-TEK]

Thanks Scott. I'll have to call Dell tomorrow. Will I be able to request the LG or AUO panel. How will I know that the tech will install one of the LG or AUO panels? Which is better, LG or AUO?

Like Ryan mentioned, the AUO is a best anti-glare panel in my opinion. There is a way to insure your case is elevated to the proper agent who will then work with the parts dispatch dept. to ensure the requested panel is pulled and sent. However, technically, Dell will not guarantee the specific replacement for every case.

Here are my findings -

Most desirable, but not available with the M6600:
Dell P/N X919N (AU Optronics B173HW01 v.4 – glossy finish)
90% color gamut
600:1 contrast ratio
300+ cd/m2 brightness
70/70 x 60/60 viewing angles
Ref: B173HW01 V.4

Best anti-glare (matte) display that is offered with the M6600 if you are lucky:
Dell P/N H8D3K (AU Optronics B173HW01 v.5 – matte finish)
72% color gamut
400:1 contrast ratio
300 cd/m2 brightness
70/70 x 60/60 viewing angles
Ref: B173HW01 V5 final functional spec HW-0A

Most common panel included in the M6600 along with the CMO model:
Dell P/N VCV1F (LG/PHILLIPS LP173WF1 (TL) (B3) – matte finish)
72% color gamut
500:1 contrast ratio
200 cd/m2 brightness (too low)
40/40 x 10/30 viewing angles (not great)
Ref: http://www.yslcd.com.tw/docs/product/LP173WF1-TLC1.pdf

In regards to the touchscreen option, the display panel is not the main aspect of the assembly. It is the actual touchscreen digitizer layer in front of the display panel. This is why the TS model of the M6600 has a slightly thicker LCD assembly housing than the standard model.

Scott-

[ijozic]

I consider the M6300 to have a better external build quality than the M6600. Our M6300 has been in and out of bags for several years now, and still looks excellent. The screen has less flex too. The plastic does not wear as fast as it does on the M6600.

Can you please tell me which plastic wears out on the M6600? Was considering to go after the M6600, but the M6400 is still rock solid so maybe I'll wait till some ATI+IPS combination shows up though if there are so many quality issues I might reconsider that (had zero problems with my M6400 which I bought refurbished with a few scratches on the bottom side).

I've had the M6400 for almost 3 years and besides a few scratches on the lid which are not very noticeable (even disassembled it three times to replace the CPU and GPU thermal paste, etc.), it still looks pretty good. And the inside plastic (e.g. palm rest) still looks as new (e.g. I removed the Intel and Vista stickers after a year of owning it fearing that there will be some difference in plastic shades, but there is absolutely no difference; on my Acer 1810TZ I removed them after a few months and the difference is very visible). OT, I find that the M6300 looks rather ugly compared to M6400/M6600.

[dvanburen]

Yes, I have both and have reported my findings in these NBR forums regarding both systems.

In summary, the L702x is nice and somewhat robust, but the M6600 is an overall superior business class machine that will serve you better in both the reliability and durability depts. Additionally, the M6600 will allow you to update/upgrade the major components as needed where the L702x will only let you do the CPU and memory - not the GPU. Likewise, the M6600 has a better cooling system that does not need to run as aggressively or loud as the L702x. I have retired my L702x.

Scott-

That's good to hear about the cooling. I'm typing this on my L702x which is going back once I receive my M6600 tomorrow. The primary reason is the incessant running of the fan.